Dr. Roxana Chirica

I was drawn to the precision it requires and the fact that it’s a specialty where the outcome depends heavily on the ability to observe and understand extremely fine details. I love the logical component behind every case: starting with the diagnosis, understanding the anatomy and pathology, and building, step by step, the best solution for preserving the tooth.
Early in my career, I had the opportunity to meet and learn from Dr. Erika Vasilescu and Dr. Bahare Azar—experiences that confirmed for me that endodontics is the direction in which I want to develop my career.
 

The fact that it gives you access to a level of detail that completely changes the way you understand and treat a case. Under magnification, the anatomy becomes much clearer, and elements that can decisively influence the prognosis—an additional duct, a calcification, a fissure, or a perforation—can be identified and managed in a much more controlled manner.
For me, the true value of the microscope isn’t just that it magnifies the image, but that it enables more precise and conservative dentistry. The more visual information you have, the more precisely you can intervene and the better you can protect healthy tooth structure.

The dentist sees the complexity within a space that is invisible to the patient. He or she can identify very fine anatomical details, entrances to additional canals, calcifications, cracks, fractured instruments, or structural changes that can completely alter the treatment plan.
The patient naturally perceives, above all, the symptom—pain, discomfort, or the fact that a tooth needs treatment. Behind this symptom, however, lies a much more complex biological and anatomical reality, and our role is to interpret it correctly and treat it as predictably as possible.

Technology has greatly expanded the limits of what we can diagnose and treat in endodontics. The microscope, CBCT, modern instrumentation, and irrigant activation systems allow us to better understand anatomy, identify the causes of treatment failure, and treat cases more precisely—cases that in the past would have had a much more guarded prognosis.
At the same time, technology does not replace clinical judgment. It provides us with information and control, but the correct indication remains essential. The goal is not to save a tooth at any cost, but to give the best chance to a tooth that has a favorable biological and structural prognosis.

Pain remains, perhaps, the most common fear. Many patients still associate endodontic treatment with a difficult experience, even though current anesthesia techniques and modern treatment methods allow for a comfortable procedure in most cases.
In fact, the pain that patients often associate with “root canal treatment” is actually caused by the inflammation or infection that brought them to the dentist’s office in the first place. The treatment is specifically designed to eliminate the cause of that pain and give the tooth a chance to remain functional.

I would like them to know that endodontic treatment is more than what we commonly refer to as “removing the nerve.” It is a complex procedure aimed at disinfecting a root canal system with a very delicate anatomy and sealing it as predictably as possible.
It is equally important for the patient to understand that root canal treatment is not the end of the entire process. Proper restoration of the tooth and follow-up monitoring play an essential role in the long-term prognosis.

I don’t believe that the success of a case is determined solely by the completion of treatment or by a postoperative X-ray that looks excellent. For me, true success is confirmed over time: the patient is asymptomatic, the tooth is functional, and the periapical tissues are healing.
From this perspective, endodontics also requires a certain amount of patience. We can control the quality of the treatment we perform, but the biological response follows its own rhythm, which is why follow-up visits are an important part of evaluating the outcome.

First and foremost, patience and attention to detail. Endodontics forces you not to rush through the steps and to accept that sometimes it’s necessary to pause, reassess, and adjust your strategy. It has also greatly developed my discipline in following clear protocols, without losing the flexibility required for each individual case.
At the same time, I believe it has made me more persistent, but also more clear-headed in my decision-making. Persistence is important, but it’s just as important to recognize the biological or structural limitations of a tooth and to know when a treatment is no longer the best option for the patient.

Probably curiosity and the joy of discovering what isn’t obvious at first glance. In endodontics, there’s always an element of exploration: anatomy can have surprising variations, and sometimes the detail that changes the entire case is the one you have to be patient enough to look for.
I think that’s what draws me in when I discover a new place, too. It’s not just the destination itself, but the different perspective, the details, and the feeling that there are still things you haven’t seen yet—and that are worth understanding.